


overload

by FailedBroadcast



Category: Undertale
Genre: Angst, Female Chara (Undertale), Lots of dialogue, More tags coming, Multi, Shifting Points of View, Short Chapters, if theyre any triggers at all, oneshots, triggers listed in notes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 10:10:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16972605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FailedBroadcast/pseuds/FailedBroadcast
Summary: overload is a kind-of au for undertale that starts off as non-linear chapters (not in order.) they are all written for my class assignments as of writing this, so expect the quality to greatly differ between each chapter cause by motivation, desperation, procrastination, and probably a little more or less of all of them.the story unfolds over each confusing chapter. this is totally not clickbait.what you need to know:- there are three arcs. (namely before, limbo, and during. these names are subject to change, but the current chapter will be prefixed with one of these so you are slightly less confused)- like the tags suggest there's many game favorites featuring in here- this may have a life expectancy of 4 and a half months. stick around for the rolling credits, maybe- i also /might/ post illustrations on my tumblr, or something, if tumblr lives on to see two months





	1. before - hypermagia

**Author's Note:**

> prompt : write something where your character interacts with a disabled character - third pov - finished on 12/11/18

“Alright everyone, don’t forget that we’ve an assignment due tomorrow! Have a good recess!”

The school bend rang out in it’s usual melody. A flurry of monster children spilled out into the communal hallway. Chara slowly followed behind, looking around for Asriel. _Where is he?_

She felt her anxiety surface just a little. She'd only been the grade school for a week, and Asriel was always with her because like any new student, she was terrified to be alone.

What made it worse was how diverse the students were. Being the only human, she didn’t belong really much of anywhere, especially considering her soul; a vibrant red, compared to the inverted white of the monsters. She stuck out like a bloodstain on a newspaper.

Chara stepped over the door barrier onto the sickly, crunchy cave grass endemic to the massive cavern. The playground was comparatively small to what she was used to on the surface, however, having less than a fraction of the students, it was appropriate. Along with groups playing various ball games, tag, and collectibles, there were some more advanced students practicing their fledgling magic. They were being closely proctored by the Magus Monitors (a fancy word for Magic Teachers) so they didn’t accidentally hurt themselves or others. Chara watched as a slime manipulated it’s pseudo-liquid surface to boil and hurled it at a fabric dummy - to which immediately sparked into a flame. One of the Monitors hurried to extinguish it, while the others gave him a congratulatory clap, and ushered the next excited mage-in-training to practice on the many fabric dummies made for the occasion.

Chara humored herself by watching the mage’s make a few rounds on the dummies. She was always intrigued by the monster’s ability to manipulate it, but being a human she didn’t have the skill for it. Human’s bodies just weren’t capable of being a vessel for magic like monsters were.

Wringing her hands, she looked up to the ceiling. The Underground was set in a perpetual moonless midnight due to being, well, underground. What served as stars were stagnant twinkling crystals. Chara never realized how much she took the night sky for granted until after she fell down. Nothing could trump the magic of a moon-scalded pasture, the ambience of wind-brushed shrubs, or the harsh clicking of the local crickets and frogs.

Chara was brought back to reality when she heard a commotion over near the Magic Practice Field. By this point she had sat down craning her neck, so she readjusted to get a better look.

“But you didn’t even give me time! The magic’s there! I just need time to summon it!”

“You’ve been here for three minutes, and all that has come out is dumb sparkles, _Quirkly!_ ”

“Daniel, that is enough! Blake, you’ve had enough time to do this, please go sit down.” A monitor eased Blake off the platform, trying to smooth his already ruffled fur. Chara saw the young canimonere stutter in frustration, but he stomped off in a stiff manner. He huffed and sat just a few paces away from Chara. A snarl creeped on his upper lip and his fur pricked indignantly. Chara clenched her shirt, preparing for some sort of meltdown or rant.

But it never came. Instead, Blake just tapped his foot and panted a little.

“What are you doing?” Chara finally asked, scooting closer. It was unusual to see a child not have a tantrum.

“I’m de-spelling,” Blake huffed, as if that explained everything.

 _Dispelling?_ Chara wasn’t sure he heard him right. “Wha-”

“Oh, like you wouldn’t know! - oh.” Blake interrupted upon seeing Chara. “Sorry, I forgot a human was a student.” Though Chara thought that was somehow rude in of itself, his demeanor was genuine.

“The doc says I have too much magic built up but I don’t have the means of getting rid of it, only in small amounts. Calls it hypermagia, or something like that. It’s like... I’m like a sponge, but I can’t squeeze out much of the water, only absorb it. So sometimes, I have to get rid of the excess magic by moving around.” Blake tapped his foot harder, as if hearing ‘move’ set him off.

“I try so hard to perform magic though! Everyday I go to the Field to hit that stupid dummy, and every day it never comes. Today though, I knew something would happen. I was practicing last night and I swear I saw something, so I tried it again today and - ah!”

Chara watched as the monster suddenly punched the dirt, barely leaving a dent. His arm seized uncontrollably, and Blake had to gently hold his arm still and sit down again.

“God, are you okay?” Chara scooted away, unsure of what to do.

“Ugh, this always happens. It’s part of the de-spelling... anyway, today, sparks did come out. It was very little, I don’t even think the monitors saw it. But before I could do anything, that dumb Goren shoved me from behind and calling me _Quirkly_ and all of that. Oh, just you wait, you stupid little pig, I’m gonna wreck your Magus Scores and then I won’t be the _nomagi_ in the school anymore!”

 _Nomagi!_ Chara remembered hearing that word a lot on that first day. She specifically heard it directed at her, though whether it was an insult or their term for “human” was unclear.

“ _Nomagi_...” She muttered.

“Oh! Damn me and my potty mouth!” Chara couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony. “I mean - ugh. Sorry.”

“For what?” Chara was surprised at her own warmth. _Maybe I am changing..._

“For the... _nomagi_ remark. Mum had always told me to never say that word. It a very cruel word.” Blake clearly looked upset over it. The offense went over Chara’s head.

“Well, I am not your mom. What does it mean?” Chara pressed.

Blake looked down, slightly upset. “It’s a rude term to describe someone who can’t use magic. But I’m no _nomagi_. I can still use it, just not in the same way as everyone else. Mum says I’m fine just the way am, but if I am, then why am I still made fun of by Goren or any of his grunts? Why do the teacher’s stop me from participating in the Magus Events? Why do all the other adults talk down to me like I’m a month-old pup? I love my mum, but I know even she doesn’t like me. I can’t ever graduate properly to make her proud or take up my pa’s job to support the family. I’m just too different for everyone...” Blake drooped his ears, looking at his paws. He’d stopped twitching by this point. His nonstop chattering was somehow enrapturing. Chara spoke up.

“Well, I cannot do any magic either, but my...” Chara hesitated. Who was Toriel to her? She was certainly more motherly than her biological mother, but she wasn’t even a human. Yet, she had more humanity than any human she’d ever met. Blake was looking at her expectantly. She continued, “...My guardian. She still loves me genuinely. I do not have any practical use as a monster, but I make up for it with ingenuity and endurance. Hell, I am a human. My people are the ones who trapped yours down here to begin with. If there is anyone to dislike for who they are... it would be me.”

Chara looked back to Blake. Tears swam in his big green eyes and his lip wavered.

“Ah! Why are you crying!”

“It’s just so sad.” Blake rubbed his eyes clear and took in a big sniffle. “You didn’t do anything wrong, and you seem like a nice person. And I couldn’t even imagine a life without magic. I guess I’ve got no right to complain - I still have mine.” His tail waved, just slightly. “Monsters are mean, huh?”

Chara laughed. _A nice person,_ she had never been called that. It felt... nice.

 _How naive,_ a thought intruded.

“Not all monsters,” she protested. Just then, Asriel came running out of the school, papers flying from his bag. He stopped to pick them up, closed his bag and hopped in front of Chara.

“Sorry Chara! I had to stay a little after to finish an assignment, but I’m here now. Wanna head home?” He closed his eyes an cocked his head with a cheery smile, like he usually does. For once, Chara didn’t protest. She looked to Blake. “See you tomorrow then?” Blake nodded and waved goodbye.

When they were off school grounds, Asriel looked to Chara in a funny way. She sniffed. “What is that look for?” she asked.

“You’re making friends. I knew you would,” he smiled boastfully. Chara gave him a soft punch in the arm, in which he bleated helplessly.

“Oh no, here I go down, I’m dusted...”

“Asriel!” Chara exclaimed in mock despair.

“I’m going, oh, the pain, goodbye. Don’t forget me! Blegh...” Asriel slumped on the ground, his limbs dramatically splayed around him. Chara kicked dirt onto his shirt. Asriel sneezed and whined in protest - “Ya got dirt in my eyes! Now I’m really going to be a monster!” - and he started to chase her, but Chara was already several steps ahead of him. She was halfway to Home before Asriel even thought to run.


	2. before - falling down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter prompt : make your first chapter of your fanfiction - first person pov - finished on 11/26/18  
> tw: blood, death, broken body parts  
> this chapter is funny because it's the second, wow

"It sounded like it came from over here...”

I could barely make out the sound of a voice over the sharp pain of my apparent broken bones.

“Oh my gosh!”

I made out a pair of fuzzy feet, not unlike a rabbit. They were too big to be rabbit though.  _ What is this? _

“Are you okay? Here, get up...”

Another pair of likely fuzzy hands gently lifts me up. I cry out in pain, crumbling onto the exposed dirt. I look down to realize my leg was broken.

“Oh no! Here, let me try...!” The figure spread their palms over my leg, an intriguing light washing over them. Like magic, but not without torture, the leg’s original figure was restored. I breathe in sharply against what I could only assume fusing bones felt like.

“I know it hurts right now but it should feel better soon! Are you alright? It’s quite a fall from above!”

I look up in irritation at the source of cheerful abandon. I couldn’t help but gasp at the sight, however: The person’s face wasn’t of a person at all; it was a weird hybrid of a dog and a goat, with horn nubs poking out of it’s head, and strangely bipedal. It’s fur was completely white and it wore navy jeans paired with a yellow-green sweater. A tail not dissimilar to a lion’s waves anxiously behind it.

It took me a couple of seconds to realize why my blood ran cold at the sight of it.

It was a monster.

Foreign memories flood into my mind: a cold, agonizing death; the crushing snap of bones; blood spurting from broken skin.

I slide myself away from the monster in fear, my breath quickening.

“Uh, hello? Is everything okay?”

The monster timidly steps closer, and I scoot further.

“You don’t need to be scared - ah!”

The monster’s attention directed to my chest. I look as well, confusion and intrigue plaguing my mind. A rather cartoonish looking heart hovers just inches above my chest, and I feel strangely empty. Anxiety made my pulse run faster.

“Whoa.” The monster’s eye were full of wonder. It shook its head as if to clear it, looking back to me.

“Um... I don’t want to fight you, really, I just want to help-”

“Stay away,” I demand.

The monster looked at me in confusion. “I don’t understand...”

The memories intrude my vision once more. My chest burns in terror. I made fists out of my hands. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it felt powerful.

I stagger myself onto two legs, only for them to give out.

“Please, let me just-”

“I said, stay away!” I shout, throwing my hands out towards the monster. I didn’t see what had happened, but it cried out in agony. I land on my palms, the ground scraping into my skin. The heart was gone now, and I felt a little more whole.  _ Curious,  _ I thought to myself. I look up to see the monster on the ground, groaning in pain.

“Asriel!” 

I look up to see a large, similar-bodied figure rush over to the monster I supposedly attacked. It’s lavender robes washed over the dirt, worry etching her motherly face. A pale tiara sat perfectly on her head. 

My body seized. I couldn’t attack it, not this one. It was royalty, and huge.

_ Are there more?  _ I wondered.

“Oh my child, what happened?” The mother, I assume, was slowing rubbing her child’s back.

“It was - ech! - them...” he coughs. 

“Well I never!” The mother turns to look in the direction he pointed. “Haven’t your parents taught you not to play rough? - oh!”

The mother claps a paw over her mouth, looking directly at me. I feel myself shrinking under her gaze. She mirrors my fear, shielding her child with the other paw protectively. Her composure relaxed upon looking up at the bright hole in the cavern’s ceiling. She looks at me with a grace I don’t recognize or understand.

“You’ve fallen down, haven’t you?”


	3. before - not alright

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt : write something where your character interacts two other characters - third pov - finished on 10/12/18  
> tw: vomiting???

“Hey Chara, is everything okay?”

Asriel was sorting through the contents of his satchel on a different bed when he asked her this question. Chara was at the parallel end of the room, leafing through her school binder, suspiciously quiet.

“Yes.”

Asriel frowned, not looking at Chara. He knew she was lying; he was all too familiar with people lying to him to disguise the truth. He looked over his shoulder to see Chara sitting cross-legged on their bed, studying the same page she had for about two minutes.

“Are you sure?”

Chara gritted her teeth. “Yes, idiot. If i say I am okay then that is just it.”

Asriel’s ear twitched at the insult. He shouldn’t be used to this, he told himself, _it’s not okay, she’s not okay._ He rotated his body to face hers and held his hands out submissively.

“Sometimes it helps to talk, Chara.”

“I said I am fine!” Chara snapped. Asriel recoiled slightly, taken aback by the outburst. A wave of frustration came over Chara’s face, tears threatening to spill over her cheeks. Asriel knitted his brows, giving her a dubious look. Chara gripped the paper and balled it up in her fists before letting it tumble to the floor. Sobs took up the empty presence of the room. Asriel hopped off his bed to embrace Chara, rubbing her back soothingly.

“I... I am..” Chara hitched.

“You’re not okay. Tell me what’s wrong,” Asriel urged.

Chara gripped his sweater, crying as she described what happened that day. Asriel eventually unheld her and consoled her as she confided that she had got into a fight with one of the monster kids.

“They are always... they are always so mean to me, and all I did was exist.” Chara face was flush from exhaustion.

“Yeah?”

“And you were not there, so I tried to stand up for myself. I... I hit them. And it felt good to do that.”

Asriel studied her face carefully. He couldn’t read someone’s stats just yet - he wasn’t taught how to as of right now - but he quickly recalled how his mother described some people who committed an act of violence could do so easier the next time. It was describe as Level of Violence, LV, or LOVE. Worry ebbed at his mind as he pondered this, could she have grown in LOVE?

“I did not want to hurt them Asriel,” He met eyes with her blank face, “But... I really hurt them. I punched in their stomach and out came their lunch, and all I could do was stare. The teacher sent me to the principal’s office and Toriel had to come excuse me. I did not feel bad afterwards.” Chara stared at Asriel in sad desperation. “What is wrong with me?” She stared at her hands. “Why can I not feel bad?”

Asriel swallowed carefully, not sure of what to say. He opened his mouth just as a knock resounded at the door, and Asgore shouldered his way into the room. He gave Asriel a nod and stared gently at Chara.

“Do you mind telling me what happened today?” his voice rumbled. Chara fiddled with her sweater nervously, not looking up at the king. Asgore stepped around the stuffies on the floor and gently lowered himself on Asriel’s bed. He had taken off the throne clothes previously so he was wearing a simple green sweatshirt and brown slacks. He rested his elbows on his knees and his hands in front of his mouth, looking at Chara intently. Chara sighed heavily, and Asriel raised his shoulders in apprehension.

“I hit a kid.”

“Why?” Asgore pressed

Chara shifted her legs uncomfortably, still not looking at Asgore.

“They were making fun of me.”

Asgore kept his form, sighing deeply. Asriel gave Chara a confused look. She was looking genuinely sorry, but didn’t seem so when she was confiding into him. Why was she not talking about it?

“Do you think that was right?”

“No.”

Asgore would stare a little longer at Chara before eventually lifting himself up. He kneeled below Chara’s level, and gently cupped his hands below hers, looking at her face. Chara observed her hands and Asriel scooted away to give Asgore room.

“I’m glad you think that, Chara, but I must emphasize how important your presence is amongst monsterkind. I understand it shouldn’t be your responsibility to withhold but you serve as a link between monsters and humans. You may be living proof, and our hope, that monsters and humanity may coexist peacefully once again.” Asgore calmly smiled, lifting Chara’s chin to meet her crimson eyes. “You shouldn’t let the words of an ignorant child affect you, because this part of your life is the smallest yet most important. It shouldn’t be focused so hard on the bad experiences.”

Chara glanced downward a bit shamefully, sniffing loudly and rubbing her hand against her face. She suddenly embraced Asgore to his surprise, and he patted her back awkwardly. Chara moved away and twirled her hair in embarrassment, and Asgore laughed. Asriel visibly relaxed, finding himself breathing for the first time in a minute.

“Is everything a little better?”

“Yes, thank you,” Chara smiled. Asriel knew that smile - it wasn’t genuine, but enough to fool his father. He frowned slightly but didn’t let Asgore see it.

Asgore lifted himself up. “Well, I must attend to my kingly duties, but I do wish you two a better night,” and Asgore dipped out quickly just as he came. Before Asriel could confront Chara, however, she quickly switched the lamp off, resulting in a thick silence resounding through the room. _I will have to ask her about it tomorrow,_ he decided, and quickly got into his own bed for the night.


	4. before - confide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> prompt - make a scene where it is shown in two different points of view - 1st, 3rd POV - finished 9/27/18  
> capramonere - fancy for goat monster  
> tw : alcohol. paranoia???

 

Third Person 

Chara went and turned the corner into what you could only call a yard. A dark, knotted tree rose in the middle, red leaves reaching upwards towards a small pinpoint of light in the purple cave’s ceiling. Just beyond her was a quaint like-colored home. Warm light swathed the smooth cave floor from the house’s windows. Chara hurried over to the door, opening it slowly, seeming to expect something different in front of her.

A small crack was enough to bathe her senses into a flurry of bliss: something baking in the kitchen beyond the dining room, incense burning on a drawer top beyond the stair leading into the basement, a magical lukewarm fire flickering in the dining room. Chara fiddled with her sweater sleeves, looking for something.

“Toriel?” She called out.

“Good afternoon my child!” A looming figure dipped out from the dining room, a steaming pie balanced in one of her hands. The capramonere set the pie on the dining table and leaned down to Chara’s level, her face the epitome of motherly.

“How was your first day of school?” she asked.

“It was... okay.”

A slight frown brushed Toriel’s mouth. “Just okay?”

Chara looked down and away, holding her hands to her chest. 

“My child, I won’t understand what is wrong unless you tell me. I am a person of many talents but mind reading should not be one.” 

Chara smiled at the playful tone, but shifted back to glum. “They don’t like me.”

“The other children?”

“Everyone. Even the teachers, they look at me funny...” Chara’s face contorted painfully, as if holding back tears.

“Oh child...” Toriel unhanded chara’s schoolbag and set it aside, picking up Chara to cradle her gently. Chara tensed up, not used to so much touching, but relaxed to the inviting warmth. She rubbed Toriel’s purple robe, tracing out the intricate stitchwork.

“It’s been many a day since the oldest monsters have seen humans. It may not be they don’t like you, but rather they are trying to understand you. I’m sure the feeling will wear off once they realize you are just as normal as them. Although, to be fair, it is understandable to be upset, this is only your second day here...”

Chara’s breathing slowed. Toriel looked down to see her eyes were closed. She smiled, carrying the human to their bedroom for their nap.

“Sleep well, my child,” Toriel whispered, smoothing back the human’s hair and tucking her in before switching off the light and carefully shuffling out.

First person

I walked around the corner, the Dreemurr’s home a welcome sight for my sore eyes. Yellow light peered in through the faded windows, harshly contrasting against the purple bricked walls and smooth cave floor. I felt my anxiety ebb just a little bit. _Finally, I can relax without having to look behind me_. I practically skipped around the tall dark tree and gripped the doorknob before hitching.

_ What if she left? Maybe I’ll be alone again, I really don’t want that. Will she be mad that Asriel didn’t come? Will she be drunk? I’ll have to be quiet... _

Ignoring my stomach tossing in my abdomen I turn the doorknob quietly. I didn’t expect to see the hallway illuminated so bright, or the smell of baking, or incense, or just how clean it smelled. And in the fireplace, _there was a fire!_ It was a lot to take in at once; I felt myself shrinking at every thought.

Big. Intimidating. _Timid... scared._

The words rung in my head. I had to find someone. I felt my heart flutter in a panic. 

“Toriel?!”

The name came out faster than I could think of it. My own surprise distracted me as Toriel replied and came in with a pie. _Big. Intimidating._

“How was your first day of school?” she asked.

I had to think a little bit. _What should I say? Timid..._

“It was... okay.”

I didn’t really feel comfortable about talking about how the monster kids were being mean, or the teachers unforgiving, or how it was just like it was aboveground, just amplified. I didn’t think she would care anyway.

“Just okay?”

I was surprised. Not only because she asked, but because I was partly relieved. I feel like I could trust her more because she was the first person today who actually wanted to hear what I wanted to say.

I found it hard to confess though. I fiddled with my threaded sweater, instinctively looking away from her scrutiny.

“My child, I won’t understand what is wrong unless you tell me. I am a person of many talents but mind reading should not be one.” I could hear a hint of a smile in her voice calming me down a little more. I looked up to her sadly.

“They do not like me.” I felt a familiar tightness in my throat.

“The other children?”

“Everyone, even the teachers, they all give me funny looks...” I couldn’t help but let a few tears fall onto the hardwood. It was unfair,  _ why couldn’t they just treat me fairly?  _

“Oh child...” Toriel moved closer, taking my bag and setting it aside. I tensed up when I felt she was picking me up, but somehow the feeling of being cradled in her arms set me into a lethargy, and I couldn’t help but shutter my eyes as she spoke. Her voice rumbled softly in her chest as she rubbed my head soothingly. I didn’t hear most of what she said, but the last thing I remembered was being set gently down onto soft linens.


End file.
